Let Me Go
by Phoenix.Rising.819
Summary: Juno's bottled up Galen's death for years and can't seem to let him go. At the celebration of the Empire's defeat, she meets a strange visitor who can help her face her fear...


The Force Unleashed is one of my favorite Star Wars video games. I just fell in love with the story. I noticed there were few fan fics for TFU so I thought I'd post mine. I hope everyone enjoys this little piece I wrote about Juno and Galen. Please read and review! :)

Let Me Go

His lightsaber fell downwards, giving the imperial guard the final blow. It had been a continuous battle for him ever since he first arrived on the massive space station. The place was crawling with stormtroopers of all kinds and several AT-STs. He had just finished off five imperial guards and he felt that the greatest battle of all lay ahead of him. He'd come a long way to get to where he was now. If you had told him a year ago that he would be standing here preparing to fight Vader, he would've thought you were crazy. But here he was, nevertheless. His entire life had changed drastically in just a short time.

He, Galen Marek a.k.a. Starkiller, was Vader's secret apprentice. He'd been sent on several missions to kill stray Jedi that were spread across the galaxy, each death bringing him closer to the Dark Side and to Vader's plan to destroy the Emperor. He thought finally the time had come for them to take the Emperor down, but Vader betrayed him. Vader proved his loyality to the Emperor by stabbing Galen in the back, literally, and throwing him into the emptiness of space, apparently left for dead. But it was not to be so, for Vader still had uses for the boy. He was rescued and tended to by Vader's medical droids.

The rage he felt towards the Dark Lord then could not be contained. He hated Vader for betraying him. Nevertheless, he still continued to serve Vader; it was all he had ever known, to be a slave to his master's will, but this time the seeds of doubt had been sown in his mind.

His mission now was to start a rebellion against the Empire. The Sith Lord assured his apprentice that this was to distract the Emperor so that they could strike him down together. So that's exactly what Galen did, start a rebellion. As time passed, he grew strangely close to his new allies and more doubts about Vader clouded his mind. In a final act of betrayal, Vader revealed Galen's secret identiy to the Rebels before taking them hostage back to the Emperor. Again, Vader had betrayed and used him, as he discovered the plot the destroy the Emperor to be all lies. Vader had never intended to destroy the Emperor with *his* help. It almost sounded like Vader has someone else in mind. Whoever it was, Galen pitied them for being as blind as he had been. History repeated itself as Vader abandoned him again, thinking he'd died from the fall off of a massive cliff the boy had clung so desperately to. And he might have died, had it not been for Juno.

Juno was the pilot for his ship, the _Rouge Shadow. _She had been by his side though it all, even when she'd been branded a traitor by the Empire. He knew one thing for sure now and that was that he loved her. From the very moment he lain eyes on her he had loved her, although he hadn't known it at first. As a Sith apprentice he was supposed to fuel his darker emotions, so he had never really known what love was or how to deal with it. When he was near her, she always brought out the best part of him. She had always been there to save him. Not only has she saved rescued him from his near death fall on Corellia, but she had saved him from himself, and what he could have been.

As he stood before the massive door that separated him from his destiny, these memories of the past came flooding back to him mind. They say your whole life flashes before you, when you feel as if you're about to die. It was probably a true saying. Either way he was about to find out.

Using the Force, Galen unlocked the door and it opened for him. Vader's presence weighed heavy upon him as he walked into the room. He was determined to free his friends, regardless if it was the last thing he ever did.

Then he saw him. Vader had been waiting for him, just like he'd thought. Nothing had changed about his former master. Vader was still the ominous black figure he had always been. His tremendous height only added to his terrifying countenance. But Galen didn't fear him. Not anymore. He had nothing to lose now. Not that he really stood much to lose before. He'd only thought he had in the past. Now he took a stand firmly on the ground, his blue lightsaber humming behind his back, as he was finally ready to confront Vader.

Vader's lightsaber glowed bright crimson as his heavy breathing hushed the echoing silence.

"I have trained you well," he said, his deep voice resonating throughout the narrow room, "but you still have much to learn."

"You have nothing left to teach me," said Galen defiantly. There was no way he was ever going back to his old life under Vader. He had learned his lesson and he wouldn't make the same mistake for the third time.

Galen knew Vader would test every part of his former apprentice. And he was right. All the previous Jedi combined that he had defeated could not compete with Vader's power. Vader's mastery of the Force was greater than even his own, which proved defeating his opponent all the more challenging.

Their sabers clashed. Both man and boy struggled against each other, trying to gain the upper hand in the test of physical strength. Vader clearly had the advantage. His mechanical limbs gave him more strength than he naturally had on his own. Galen staggered from the heavy force pushing against him and fell under the heavy blow receiving a burn to the shoulder as punishment.

Vader seemed to almost laugh at the boy's pain. Like he'd always done when they'd sparred. It was one of the things Galen had hated the most.

"You never were strong enough to beat me, Galen," Vader said in a mocking tone. "You can still turn back and finish your training. It's not too late."

"I'll never be your apprentice again," Galen replied. "I won't be a victim to your lies anymore."

"So be it," Vader said, a hint of anger in his voice, "Prepare to meet your destiny."

He then picked the boy up using the Force. Galen could feel the Force pressing against him, crushing his body. He harnessed the Force within him in a desperate act to escape and unleashed it, in a massive wave. This clearly had taken Vader unawares. Vader knew the boy was powerful but he had never expected this. Especially since now Galen was drawing his power from the Light Side of the Force.

Galen sensed Vader's surprise and taking advantage of the moment, used his Force lightening on Vader. This apparently was a devastating blow to the Sith, as he became unsteady on his feet. As a last defense, Vader Force pushed the electricity away from himself causing Galen to fly backwards and land on his back. The breath was knocked out of him but he quickly recovered and hastened his way to Vader, who had escaped into another room. Although he should have sensed it coming, Galen was thrown completely off guard when he felt something heavy smash into him, hurling him half way across the room. He just couldn't keep his mind on the fight. His thoughts constantly went back to his need to free the Rebel prisoners. He didn't have time to waste on fighting Vader. He had more important things that needed to be done.

He painfully picked himself back up, and this time he was ready. He sensed the attack coming and used the Force once again to stop the flying object from crashing into him. Instead, he sent it back to Vader who fell beneath it's impact. Vader rose to his feet clearly agitated. Leaping from the platform he had previously stood on, the Sith Lord approached Galen for a final duel with their lightsabers.

"Now you will taste the power of a true master," Vader said, "and you will die as easily as your father did."

At this Galen was enraged. His father had been a Jedi and a hero. Galen had always remembered the day he'd died. The day Vader had stormed into the boy's innocent life and ruthlessly murdered his father right before his eyes. Through the eyes of a child, he had witnessed the whole thing and his life had been forever changed.

"My father," Galen began, a hint of emotion stinging his voice, "was a better man than you'll ever be."

Vader then began to aggressively attack the boy; his strength only increasing as the fight progressed. Galen searched frantically for a weak point, a flaw in Vader's technique, anything that might give him the upper hand. He was going to have to find something and fast because his strength was quickly depleting.

Much to Galen's surprise, he suddenly became afraid. All the fears he had ever experienced throughout his entire life came flooding back to him, clouding his mind. He tried to resist it but the more he fought it, the more it overcame him. He couldn't control it, but he did know who could. Vader was using an ancient Sith technique on him in which all of his greatest fears came to the surface, distracting him from the real battle they were fighting.

Galen had always had difficulty winning in this area of his training as a Sith apprentice. But he was a Sith no more. Now he was a Jedi. Using the Force Galen sought to calm the fears within himself. And to his slight surprise, he succeeded in doing so. He could feel Vader apply the pressure even further as his fears intensified. Despite all Vader's efforts, Galen could still gain control over his fears while warding off the fierce blows coming from his opponent's glowing red blade.

Galen breathed a sigh of relief. He had at last defeated Vader in this battle of the mind, or so he thought. Images of Juno lying dead on the ground flashed before his eyes. The hallucination felt so real to him that he cried out her name as the image passed from his vision.

Vader saw his chance to strike and took the opportunity. He swung his blade downwards and burned a small hole in Galen's left leg.

Galen released a stiffed cry as the pain from his fresh wound caused him to sink to the floor.

"You are beaten," Vader said triumphantly, bringing his lightsaber down in front of the boy's face.

Galen looked up at the glowing blade that stood unsteadily in front of him, just inches away from it's target. Then he noticed a large black container racing towards his direction, with intentions of breaking every bone in his body. Just as it was about to hit him, Galen summoned the Force and used it to stop the deadly object flying towards him. He succeeded in doing so and then Force pushed it into Vader. He could sense Vader's surprise at the boy's unexpected attack.

"I'm not beaten yet," said Galen. He then pulled down some heavy pipes from the ceiling and threw them on top of an already dazed Vader. He then lept to Vader's side, ready for another battle.

Vader emerged from the rubble that lay on top of him and began to defend himself against the boy's furious blows even though now his clothes had become tattered and he had more difficulty breathing as a result of his life support being damaged.

Galen soon gained the upper hand in the fight as he wounded Vader in the knee and then damaged part of his mask. Galen had always wondered what lie underneath that black helmet, and he was somewhat astounded to find that underneath that monster, was just a man.

Within seconds, Galen had Vader in his grip and they both went flying out of a nearby glass window. Vader landed harshly on the ground, one level below where Galen had jumped to with ease. He had hardly had time to catch his breath before he heard the withered and harsh voice of the Emperor.

"Good, good," said the Emperor in his usual mocking tone. "Now finish him off once and for all and take you're rightful place at my side."

Galen had barely enough time to begin considering the Emperor's purposal, when he noticed his friend and mentor, General Rahm Kota running up to them. Galen watched as the general, despite being bound in chains, used the Force to steal the Sith's lightsaber and prepared to fight the Emperor. But the Emperor sensed the oncoming attack and unleashed a wave of Sith lightening against Kota, thwarting the attempt on his life.

"Help him!" begged Senator Bail Organia, who had watched the whole thing. Just like everyone else, Bail was powerless to help. It was all up to Galen now…

What was he going to do? Everything depended on the one choice he made now. All of his life he had dreamed of finally achieving his goal of ruling the galaxy as a Sith. It was the one thing he had to hold on to; the only reason for his existence. Vader had breed him to become a killing machine. The total isolation, the constant training sessions, all the death he had caused, he could have revenge on all of it. He could finally avenge the death of his father and fulfill his dream; all he had to do was jump down to where Vader was and strike him down for the last time.

But then he heard Kota's screams as the Emperor tirelessly weakened the old general's body. He couldn't leave his friends to suffer and die while he gained the vengeance he had always wanted either. Freeing the Rebels was what he had set out to do and Galen had no intentions of stabbing them in the back like Vader had done to him so many times in the past. His thoughts strayed to Juno and what she would do if she were in his place and the decision of what to do became clear to him. He at last decided he didn't have to keep living in the past. He could write his own future now, however long or short it may be. The dreams of the past no longer mattered to him anymore. Juno and the Rebel's cause were all that ment anything to him now. And it was here Galen left behind his life as a Sith forever and embraced the beauty of redemption.

He rushed forwards, lightsaber drawn, ready to face the Emperor in combat. At least, he thought he was ready. Galen had never fought the Emperor before, so he wasn't familiar with his opponent's fighting methods. Pain erupted from within him as volts of electricity ran up and down his entire body. Galen cried out as the severe torture was almost more than he could stand. It weakened him to the point that moving was a struggle and breathing was labored. He strained himself, trying urgently to active his lightsaber and use it for protection against the deadly Sith lightening. He at last succeeded in doing so as a new strength came to his weary limbs soon after.

"You could have been one of the greatest Sith Lords ever if you had served under me," said the Emperor.

Galen lowered his defenses for a moment and replied, " I'll never be a Sith again. I won't be a victim to your lies anymore."

"If you will not be turned from your ways then, you will die!"

The Emperor then unleashed a massive furry of electricity and it was difficult for Galen to block it all with a single lightsaber. He tried to get closer to the Emperor, all while blocking and dodging electricity. In a few quick moves he transversed the area between then and he now stood very close to the Emperor.

As soon as he saw a chance Galen unleashed the Force within him, knocking the Emperor to the ground. He then lifted the Sith into the air and slammed him into the floor. The Emperor had been defeated and now it was Galen's time to strike.

The Sith Lord lay on the floor, weakened and defenseless. The boy stared at him with a cold took in his eye. He activated his lightsaber, the blue light shining on his stern face, and was about to bring it down in a fatal blow to the Emperor when he felt a strong hand touch his shoulder.

"He is beaten," came the voice of Kota. "Let him go."

"No!" Galen said defiantly. "He's too dangerous to be left alive! You underestimate his power. He must pay for what he's done to me."

"If you kill him," said Kota calmly, "you will only end up back where you started."

The boy thought about Kota's words for a moment. As much as Galen felt the Emperor should be destroyed, he was not ready to do it. If he struck him down now and gave in to his anger and resentment he would only be back where he began. And he never wanted to return to that life. Ever.

"Get the Rebels to the ship," said Galen as he switched off his lightsaber. I'll be right behind you."

They were both taken completely by surprise by the next turn of events. The Emperor again unleashed his Sith Lightening on Kota, knocking him to the ground. Galen quickly reacted by stepping in between them. He used the Force to prevent the deadly laces of electricity from harming himself.

"Go! Get out of here!" he cried to Kota, who reluctantly left the boy to battle the Emperor.

Galen could feel the Emperor intensify the attack causing him to draw more strength from the Force. The boy could see Vader standing in the background observing the whole event. Galen could sense Vader's desire for him to lose the battle, so that he could again be Vader's pawn. But when the boy looked deeper into Vader, he could sense something else. And what he felt surprised him very much. Remorse. For the slightest moment, Galen felt regret coming from Vader, a man who had become a monster. But even then there was still a man inside of the monster, just waiting to escape. Maybe there was still some hope that Vader could see the light just as he had.

The boy inched closer to the Emperor, his strength failing more and more as the Dark Lord only seemed more powerful. At last Galen felt it. This was it. This was how he was going to die. The last conversation he had had with Juno came flooding back to his memory. It was the last time he'd ever see her. He remembered her asking him that question just before they'd parted.

"Will I ever see you again?" she had asked in a troubled tone.

"If I can free the Rebels they're going to need an extraction…" he'd replied. "Probably not…no."

"Then I'll never need to live this down," she said.

He hadn't the slightest idea what she was about to do and didn't at first know how to respond to the gentle kiss she had placed on his lips. The feeling of affection had been so strong at that moment and even though he'd never felt it before in his entire life, it felt so good to him, so pure. He kissed her back passionately and then pulled away softly and whispered his final words to her.

"Good bye Juno."

Galen was now only inches away from the Emperor. In these last moments the boy had never felt so calm, so at peace. He was finally free.

"Good bye, Juno," he whispered as he summoned the last of his strength and his power collided with the Emperor, releasing a massive shock wave. Severe pain washed over his entire body as the last thing he saw before the darkness was his memory's image of Juno.

****

Vader watched as blue electricity rained down from the Emperor's fingertips to a young boy who cried from its torturous effects. Vader was wildly conflicted in this moment. Should he remain loyal to his master or help this boy who begged for mercy? This boy who called him father. As he looked into his son's eyes he was reminded of another boy Galen Marek, who just like his son Luke, had stood up to the Emperor. It had been seven years to the day since Galen's death and in a small way the memories still haunted him. He had just stood back and watched, just like he was doing now. And because of that Galen had paid for it, with his life. Now Vader found himself stuck in the past with the choice of helping the boy or leaving nature to take its course. Of all the battle's he'd ever fought, this was the greatest. It was the ultimate duel between the man Anakin Skywalker and the monster Darth Vader. At last he could stand it no more. His decision was finally made. The last battle was fought. And Anakin had won. He picked up the Emperor and struggled to cast him down into the long chasm and into the power core. The Emperor's electricity flew everywhere, further weakening Vader who had already been seriously wounded. But he kept going. He kept holding on. He had to. It was the only way he could hope to redeem himself from all the bad things he had ever brought to these people he cared about, his son Luke who had suffered dearly for his father's salvation, his wife Padme who had always loved him, his daughter that he had never known, his friend and mentor Obi-Wan who had always been there, and…at last for Galen, the boy who had suffered the fate that could have been Luke's. Vader regretted all the evil he had ever done to these people and with this final act of destroying the Emperor, he asked for their forgiveness…

****

Juno Eclipse sat alone gazing up into the sky, beholding the beauties of space. At last the galaxy was free now. The Empire had finally been defeated. She felt a since of pride knowing she had helped the Rebels in its last battle against the Empire. She felt wonderful, knowing that the galaxy was at peace, for a time.

Despite her joy, she felt hollow inside. It was the reason she sat alone now. She didn't feel up to participating in the great celebration here on Endor because of _him._ Because of Galen. How she wished he could have lived to see this day! This Rebellion was what he had fought and died for and she wished he could have been there to celebrate their victory. But for some reason, history had been cruel to Galen and people soon forgot the Rebellion's founding member and one of it's greatest heroes. She was now only one of the few that had ever known him. Kota had passed on not long after wards from Imperial assault, under orders of Darth Vader. Juno remembered fondly how the two of them had often joked together. It was almost like some game between the two. She remembered the words Kota had spoken to her after Galen's death. They rang clearly in her ears, even now.

"He's at last one with the Force," Kota had said, sorrow quieting his voice.

"You always knew who he was, didn't you?" she had asked. Despite being blind, the old man knew more than he let on to know.

"I suspected, yes."

"Then why did you help him? After all the bad things he'd done."

"When he came to me in the bar, among all his dark thought, I glimpsed one bright spot. One beautiful thing he held onto, even at the end."  
"What?" she remembered asking. She had always wondered what it was that changed him for the better. What it was he held on to despite it all. Kota's response wasn't what she'd expected.

"You."

She was it. She was what Galen had held on to. She struggled trying to fight back the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes. She had spent the last seven years to the day trying to fight this sorrow that came over her. She had always succeeded in the past because there was always a war to fight, a mission to complete. She didn't know how much longer she could fight this; she was slowly losing. And it was then she saw _him._ At least it looked like _him._ But how could it be? Galen had been dead for seven years now. The figure took the shape and form of the boy she had loved but there was something different about him. He seemed to, almost glow. She stared at it for what seemed like hours when at last she saw it come closer.

"It's me," came a voice. It sounded like Galen and it looked like him but how could it really be him?

"Who…Who are you?" she asked, her voice wavering.

"It's me, Galen," came the voice. "Do you still remember me?"

"Yes, of course I do, but…how?"

"When I became one with the Force I learned from others how to retain my conciousness. And that's how you see me."

"Why are you here? Why didn't you reveal yourself sooner?" she almost begged him to answer her.

"It had to be this way, Juno. The Rebellion needed you."

"Needed me? I needed you! But you were gone and I was left alone. You have no idea how hard that was for me!"

"Actually, I do."

"How could you possibly know?"

"I felt it. Through the Force. I don't know how, but I could. I'm so sorry Juno. I never ment to bring this misery on you. I want you to be happy. That's why I came back. To ask you to let me go."

"What do you mean by that?"

"For seven years now you've denied yourself the right to mourn. You always distracted yourself with anything rather than face your feelings. You have to let me go or you'll never be happy."

"I can't," she said as her eyes began to leak.

He stepped forward, wiping the tears from her eyes. "It's alright to cry," he said. "Please…please let me go. I love you and I can't stand to feel that your pain and sorrow is for me."

She broke down in tears at last. Her sobs silenced all other sounds as even the forest itself seemed to cry with her. She sank down to the ground and cried and cried until she could cry no more, all the while Galen sat beside her comforting her as best he knew how, with soft words and his gentle touch.

After several minutes of quiet she at last spoke, "I wish you could stay with me here forever."

"I wish I could too, but I have to go. And you have to move on. You have to keep living," he replied.

"It's going to be so hard without you."

"You have to try. But at least know this. I will always be with you and that I love you more than I've ever loved anything in my entire life."

"I love you too, Galen."

She then placed a kiss on his hollow lips. He smiled at her as he held her hand and then slowly faded from sight.

She stared longingly at the place where Galen had once stood, hoping that by some miracle he would appear to her alive and well. She soon came back to herself and realized that time had slipped away from her all at once. Lonelyness again attempted to take over her, but this time she didn't feel alone. She could feel Galen's presence nearby. It was as if they shared a bond now and she didn't feel alone anymore now. Galen was with her still; she could feel it. She looked back in the direction where the Rebels were celebrating their freedom and this time she decided to join them.

****

As long as she lived she told everyone the story of Galen Marek, the boy who had played a major part in saving the universe from the corrupt Empire. When at last her time came to leave her life behind, she embraced her fate happily and she again met Galen in the Force and the two were never parted.

The End.


End file.
